Mother prepares to work as slave to save baby

From Our Correspondent

KANGPOKPI | Sept 23

Rich or poor, every mother’s love for her  child is all equal but will it be wrong to say that it is much painful for a poor mother who could not provide the needs of her children when she came to know only her love is not enough for them despite having the matchless love.

This is the case of a below poverty line mother Chongpi (48), w/o Mulmu (49), who hails from T. Lhangnomphai village, located around 2 Km. from the border town of Moreh in Tengnoupal district, whose little girl was born with Sacrococcygeal Teratoma Type-1 on September 3, 2017.

Going through the story one would definitely find the unconditional love and selfless sacrifice among many other qualities of a mother who would also definitely draw many attention of love, emotion, honour, contribution, etc. to the mother who is not hesitate to become a “slave” for her daughter’s treatment.

Sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT) is an unusual tumor that, in the newborn, is located at the base of the tailbone (coccyx). This birth defect is more common in female than in male babies.

It has been categorized as Type I – Primarily external or has a minimal presacral component; Type II – Predominantly external but has a significant intrapelvic component; Type III – Predominantly intrapelvic with abdominal extension, with a small external component and Type IV – Entirely within the pelvis and abdomen.

The world turns upside down when the impoverished couple, who mainly depend on the daily earning of the husband, had a girl with such a misfortune. She is the tenth child in the big family. But the wife still willingly affirmed even to become a slave to anybody who will treat her tenth child.

Chongpi delivered her youngest daughter Nengneithem at their residence on September 3 morning at around 5 am and found her daughter with a swelling buttock which prompted them immediately to bring her at the nearest PHC Moreh and later to the CHC Moreh where the child was referred to RIMS hospital, Imphal considering her terrific condition on September 13 after providing some treatment.

With the assistance of KSO Imphal and relatives residing at the state capital they brought the child to RIMS where doctors advised them to take her to JNIMS as there is no ICU facility for infant even if surgery can be done. Later, the family as per the advice brought the child to JNIMS hospital but they met with similar condition.

However, JNIMS doctors keep the child under observation and fixed for her surgery on September 28.

“I saw my daughter swelling buttock after her birth and it [the swelling portion] becomes reddish and started growing which worried me a lot”, said Chongpi, the mother said before adding that seeing my child in such a condition is the most painful thing she has experienced in her life.

Chongpi who delivered her other children normally said that she has never even imagined such a delivery since all the other children were born normal.

The distress mother also said that everyone is repulsive when they see the terrible condition of the daughter and she knows her condition is critical and if proper treatment is not given she has no chance of being normal.

“I am even ready to become a slave to anyone who helps me in my child’s treatment”, said Chongpi, wife of the daily laborer, Mulmu, who earns hardly Rs. 200/- per day.

She also said that except the travelling charge of Rs. 1500/- provided by the PHC Moreh, there is no assistance from the government till today while seeking help from the government for the treatment which is likely to cost more than Rs. 20 lakhs.

“No words can explain my feeling seeing her in such condition which is most painful thing on earth”, said Chongpi while conveying her wish to her daughter as normal human being.